


Don't Turn On the Lights

by Evitcani



Series: Seldom We Say [2]
Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Dom/sub, Enemies to Friends to Lovers to Husbands, M/M, Post-Canon, Reaper Coworkers, Reincarnation, Shadar-Kai, Sorry Wizards of the Coast My Astral Plane Now
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-01
Updated: 2018-12-21
Packaged: 2019-06-19 18:15:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15515724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Evitcani/pseuds/Evitcani
Summary: Taako is a secretary. Kravitz is his coworker more than his boss. The Grim Reaper more than a person.Taako keeps him at arms length, scared of what it means to sleep with Kravitz and then dream of being someone he refuses to become.





	1. Dear Fellow Traveler In These Old Bones

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Once upon a daylight dreary,

The next thing Kravitz knew was the slide of silk along his hip. Taako mumbled something incoherent against his collarbone, almost too warm against his skin. Not quite burning, but Kravitz could feel an artificial dawn dewing sweat on his skin. He was hazy and content under the comforting weight of Taako half-hanging over his side. A barrier of a dressing gown lay between them. Nothing at all and yet the cling of silk to his skin was somehow charming. 

He must have slept through the night, judging by the clock.

“Mhm pashta,” Taako mumbled in his sleep. Kravitz stirred a little as consciousness sank in, smiling helplessly. He let his eyes flutter open and immediately made a face at Taako’s slackjaw dreaming pooling drool into his feathers. 

“Taako,” he prodded, lifting his hand to tug at one of Taako’s ears. Instead, he traced the shell of it and eased himself free. He’d been up far later than Kravitz and Kravitz would deal with the morning grumpiness later. 

It wasn’t too late to catch the replay of one of his favorite shows. He found a radio without too much trouble and tuned it to his station, setting it low and quiet on the table. “ _... and up next, a replay of last night’s chapter of the Weathered Rose: A Tale of Intrigue and Romance!_ ” The announcer’s voice went quiet as [a song swept over the living room](https://open.spotify.com/track/3RML5lH4ALy9fhGf5qgEOW?si=TWbFe1ZASACJZr-3OHLC0A). Kravitz found the newspaper from that morning outside the door and brought it in to sit at the table. 

This was almost routine, after a few weeks of half his mornings framed by the curve of Taako’s body. He took the loose ribbon from his neck and used it to tie back his hair before he sat, crossing his legs. 

The headline read, ‘`SHADOWFELL WINS BATTLE OF FIVE FEATHERED GRAVES`’. He automatically glossed over the details. There was no point reading it now when there would be a report on his desk by the time he went to work. Farther back on page three, where all newspapers kept the useful information, was a report about the rising number of Converts becoming Unspeakable when taking their first sacrifice. 

There were questions – as there always were – of stopping the bishops from taking Converts in Faerun. This, too, would probably be his problem to deal with. Kravitz swept a curl out of his face and put a finger on the name of the Unspeakable. ‘ _... Convert Agnes Song, sister of Convert Lucretia Song. Both identified as gnomes before converting..._ ’

A sibling who had made it through her first sacrifice successfully, but who had to watch the Reapers put down her sister. A faded picture showed Convert Lucretia standing quiet against a wall. Taller than all those around her, teeth so large she couldn’t close her mouth and hands curled into bird-like talons with a long neck turned unnaturally far to watch what was happening behind her without facing it directly. It took him a moment to realize half her face had been lost during the process, leaving only her skull exposed on one side under her hood. Still, she was strangely beautiful, and solemn enough that you could feel her grief in the flow of ink. 

This was not going to look good to the public by any means. 

He sighed and leaned back in the chair, running a hand down his face. “Handsome, what’d I say about working when you’re naked?” Kravitz blinked rapidly and turned to Taako. Taako propped himself up on an elbow and watched him half-lidded from the bed. “If you’ve got time to agonize over the papers, you probably got the energy to change the radio to 734 and wake me up right.” He grinned at Kravitz lazily and patted the space next to him. 

Kravitz supposed he’d end up buying the record of today’s episode at the shoppe anyway. He [flipped it to 734 Faerun’s Hits](https://youtu.be/Ntt5-y50yi4) and practically ran to Taako’s side. “ _This_ is what you like,” he snorted and straddled Taako’s hips. 

“I’m not here to impress you, babe,” Taako smirked and grabbed Kravitz’s chin, hand sliding up the inside of Kravitz’s thigh. “What I’d _like_ is for you to make me moan.” Kravitz snorted and leaned up to capture his lips in a kiss. 

This was routine, too, wasn’t it? 

In his office, he switched on an ancient radio and turned it down low. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d even turned it on. His parents had given it to him on some Name Day and he’d brought it into his office in the optimistic, but misguided, hope of using it in the background while he worked. Smiling to himself, he swept aside the heavy curtains over the tiny stained glass windows. He pushed one up and leaned forward, catching the smell of breakfast baking. 

“ _If only for today_ ,” he joined in with [the song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJrhx_PaWFo) and swept a few binders off a shelf. “ _Darling come what may, what may._ ” He set them on his desk and tapped the tops before pulling them open to match Reaper to record. 

The heroes made at the Battle of Five Feathered Graves were due for a reward. He felt Her presence touch his mind and he knew what She wanted. A medal from Her treasury bore the design She wanted him to give to the craftsman. He swung out of his office to ask Taako to accompany him, but paused before speaking. Taako was glaring down at a doodle he’d made in Kravitz’s appointment book, pencil still clutched in his hand. 

Kravitz squinted, trying to make out exactly what it was Taako had drawn. It seemed familiar, a sketch of someone he felt like he’d seen, given a lot more artistic skill then he knew Taako even had. He couldn’t quite put his finger on where he’d seen this person before—.

Taako made a noise of surprise and turned, shoving the agenda aside. “Shit! Don’t sneak up on a guy like that, my dude,” he hissed and closed the agenda. “What do you want?”

Well, at least Kravitz had been able to count on this, too. Despite how they were at the club, Taako’s desk-side manner hadn’t improved in the slightest. If anything, he’d only lost respect for Kravitz since they regularly started seeing each other naked. He briefly wondered if that meant something about his body, but dismissed that immediately considering how much Taako liked his piercing. 

Now that he’d thought that, he was having a hard time not smirking at Taako. “I need to go to the treasury,” he said as plainly as he could. 

“Okay,” Taako said slowly, “Bye.”

“I need your help looking for what I need and—”

“Ugh,” Taako groaned.

“— you should bring the record book,” Kravitz finished and rubbed the side of his face. 

“The record book isn’t my only job, yanno,” Taako snarked and started to rummage through the drawers, pulling out a folded tome. “This thing sucks.”

“Oh, of course,” Kravitz grinned and started to walk towards the doors. “Forgive me for asking you to work while you are being paid to work.” Taako hissed a sigh as if holding himself back from saying something he’d regret. He didn’t try to catch up with Kravitz either, another move Kravitz thought was odd. Still, he let the tension slide to silence as they took the elevator down to the deepest parts of Kravitz Castle. 

Reapers saluted him as they entered on each floor, chorusing “Sir.” Conversations between coworkers petered into silence as they joined them on the lift. A few times, some Reapers blustered and lied saying, “Sorry, wrong lift.” All things Kravitz was used to from the newer soldiers. 

By the time they hit the fiftieth basement floor they were alone once again. This was authorized access only and Kravitz had to flash a feather in his hair to convince the elevator to keep going. “You’ve never been to the treasury,” he commented quietly to the closed elevator doors. 

“Yup,” Taako drawled after a beat of silence. 

“It’s pretty neat,” Kravitz tried valiantly to carry on. “Although I’m pretty sure the medal we need is in a tomb.”

Taako stepped forward and cast a glare at the doors, “Hey, how long does it take to reach the bottom?” 

“Oh, uh,” Kravitz tried to think, running a hand through his hair and disturbing the silver ribbon still in it. “We’re about to hit the magically induced sleep part so it will only _feel_ like a few more minutes?” 

Taako turned on heel, skirt lifting prettily. “The what—?” There was a confusing moment of light and sound and then they were blinking at each other, shaking themselves out of sleep. “Fuck,” Taako groaned and put his hands on his back to crack it. “What the hell.” 

“We should recover fairly quickly,” Kravitz mumbled as the elevator dinged and its doors finally slid open. He could already feel the fuzzy state starting to fall away. 

“Fuckin’ warn a guy next time,” Taako growled and stepped past Kravitz in a huff. “Fuck that.” Kravitz winced, a bit guilty he _had_ forgotten about that part. He sighed and followed Taako into the wide, creaking vault of The Raven Queen. “What are we lookin’ for again, homie?” 

“I only know what it looks like,” he answered. They came to a stop above a signpost with the general direction of each of the archives. “Look for a medal that may have belonged to The Seven Birds.”

“Yeah, real fuckin’ helpful,” Taako grumbled and sat on the ground. He unfolded the record book to its full size. “They’re only, like, the first Shadar-kai or something. I’m _sure_ that’s a real narrow fuckin’ list.” Kravitz rolled his eyes and sat across from him, watching him flip through the pages and reference back to the index. 

Towards the middle was a page that read in bold letters, ‘ _Historical Objects Relating to the Seven Birds_ ’, with a picture of another book about the same heft as the one it was contained in. Taako shot Kravitz a scowl and then reached into the page, retrieving it with a grunt. “Really? We are _really_ nesting the bird book inside another book, fuck,” he swore as he popped it open next to him and flipped to the index. Kravitz covered a laugh and Taako’s face softened a bit. “What, think that’s funny, handsome?” 

“Nesting, because— birds,” Kravitz snorted and put another hand over his mouth. 

“That was the joke, yeah,” Taako cackled, shoving the book at him. “At least on our list of shit found, we can jot down, ‘ _Kravitz likes stupid bird puns._ ’” 

Kravitz tried to keep down his unattractive giggles, laughing more at himself at this point. Grabbing the book, he tried to focus on it instead. The descriptions were pure gibberish to him. Only Taako was attuned to it, so he focused on the pictures on the medals. They flickered with dust motes, more security monitors than a static image. He thumbed through each until he found the one he was looking for. Five birds swooping around an orb with two birds inside. Each carried an object in its beak that he didn’t know the meaning of. “This one,” he told Taako.

Taking the book back, he glanced over the description. “It’s hanging above the tomb of Taako and, uh, Kravitz?” 

Kravitz blinked, too. “Is it a ‘ _Kravitz_ ’ or ‘ _Kravitz_ ’?” 

“It just says ‘ _Kravitz_ ’,” Taako mumbled, reading it again and flipping a few pages to what Kravitz could only imagine was information about the tomb judging by the picture. “‘ _Final resting place of the Sixth Bird Taako Kravitz and unknown Convert skeleton thought to be his spouse, last name Kravitz,_ ’” he read aloud. He shut the book, frowning. 

“I suppose Kravitz isn’t an uncommon last name,” Kravitz mumbled, scratching the side of his nose. 

“Yeah, I mean, _you’re_ a Kravitz,” Taako shrugged and shoved the book back into its page. 

Kravitz stopped and blinked at Taako. “What?” 

“What?” Taako looked up at him blankly.

He stared down at Taako incredulously. “You think my last name is Kravitz?” 

“Yes?” 

He crossed his arms and sighed deeply. “My full name is Macallister Narahm-Eilyas. Kravitz is my job title,” he said with another exasperated sigh at Taako’s surprise. “Alright, well, let’s go get this medal.” He started in towards where he thought the tomb would be while Taako frantically packed up the record book. “It’s in Protected Architecture, right?”

“Swing a left. It’s in First Converts,” Taako answered automatically. “What the fuck? How did I know that?” 

Kravitz didn’t answer, letting Taako catch up to him among the echoing corridors. Probably best if Taako didn’t overthink it. He slowed his pace, letting Taako pause and peer into the doorways they passed curiously. The Treasury was home to a great many wonders long past forgotten, or never important in their time. They had found their home here, ferried away by curious or suspicious Reapers picking over the leavings of the dead. A long broken ship with its name partially worn away, ‘ _—aster_ ’ or a flickering box that played static like a radio in a bubble to muffle its noise, or a projector flickering a slideshow of impossible truths. 

More than anything, the area gave way to the obsessive collection of anything related to the Seven Birds, the first supposed Shadar-kai. That fascination with the strange lives they had led and the tragedy that followed the Sixth Bird’s reincarnations lay here. Kravitz paused before the broken statue of the Sixth Bird that had once adorned his prestigious magic school. Someone had been using its pedestal as a desk and a fresh cup of coffee sat still steaming on the corner. 

“Hm,” he hummed to himself. 

“Get a load of this ego,” Taako whistled and shielded his eyes with a hand to his forehead. “Diamonds for nails? Talk about tacky. Glazed cheap stone in gold, too. No wonder it doesn’t have a face anymore. Dumbass.” 

“I’m afraid that’s your namesake, Taako,” Kravitz laughed and cast a gaze around for who else might have been in the room with them. There was, predictably, no one in sight. 

“Listen, I settled who got to be called Taako growing up,” he argued, putting a hand against his chest in offense. “I wasn’t _Taako A_ or _Taaka_ , nu uh. I am still the _original_ Taako, no namesake about it. It was the name that chose me on my Name Day. Not all Taakos are made the same and this one can go fuck himself for thinking he can give everyone the great idea to all name their kids after him.” He gave the statue the finger for emphasis and made a face at Kravitz, who just laughed in response. “If you make me miss lunch, we’re gonna have words, handsome, c’mon.” 

“Right, right, are you going out to that new cafe with Taako From Accounting again?” Kravitz grinned and followed Taako farther into the maze of storage that gave way to a dirt floor and stained glass walls, vaulted over a crumbling tomb. 

“You bet your ass I am, my dude. Taako From Accounting’s love life is a mess and there is no way I am going to miss the tail end of him telling me about that shit show,” Taako replied easily, refusing to give into Kravitz’s egging. He stopped short at the opulent entrance with a glance back at Kravitz. “Shit, this is a lotta pomp and ceremony for some old bones.” 

“You have a lot of venom for someone whose been dead since ancient times.” Kravitz shook his head and walked past, waving his hand to light the torches as they entered. 

“Took my name and gave it to everyone,” Taako mumbled under his breath, quieting at the echo of his voice down the dark stairs. 

Even with the torches, the air here was oppressive. The darkness seemed to grasp their ankles at each step down. The hair on the back of Kravitz’s neck stood on end ashe pulled one of the torches from the wall for what little comfort it offered. The ceiling above them groaned and creaked at odd intervals, the only thing breaking the silence beyond their muffled footsteps. Murals lining the staircase had faded or chipped beyond recognition. Both of them moved like they were afraid to awake these _old bones_. After a few minutes of shuffling, Taako put a hand on his hip and Kravitz very slowly put his own hand over his, threading their fingers together. 

At the bottom were five hallways. They went a surprisingly short way down the one that still held a six over it. Two sarcophaguses sat at the end, side-by-side. The room was filled eternally with [a soft song no one knew the origin of](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8T8KOrst1U). Taako’s hand tightened in his and Kravitz squeezed it comfortingly. Inside one was the Sixth Bird and the other held _Unknown Spouse_. Above them hung the medal they sought and below it were words in a language Kravitz didn’t know. 

He cleared his throat to break the silence and stepped forward, “I wonder what it says.” He brushed his hands over the engraving. 

“ _When you awaken in morning hush_ ,” Taako whispered and lifted Kravitz’s hand away. “ _I am the uplifting rush; of quiet birds in circled flight. I am the soft stars that shine at night. Do not stand at my grave and cr-ry._ ” His voice broke on the last word and he cleared his throat. “Sorry. Choked on my spit,” he lied, but Kravitz didn’t feel the need to call him on it. 

Under a protective layer of magic were the barely still-there portrait of the Sixth Bird and Unknown Spouse, but only the Sixth Bird’s face remained recognizable after all these years. He thought it might frustrate scholars when the Sixth Bird’s face was so well known, but this was probably the only instance of a spouse Kravitz hadn’t known existed until an hour ago. Indents of fingers rested over where their hearts must have been. He pressed two fingers to his lips and then passed them over both sets of indents. The song changed itself from somber to fond like the darkness falling away to the warm flicker of his torch. After a moment, still holding his hand, Taako followed suit. 

“ _I am not here; I did not die,_ ” Taako finished reading with his fingers still pressed against the Unknown Spouse’s heart. 

Kravitz lifted the medal from its resting place and took it without letting his eyes linger on the tear tracks on Taako’s cheeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long to continue. I have had a lot going on besides general depression. @@


	2. We've Come So Far - A Dreamlike Interlude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A dream of yesterday.

“Don’t go.” 

He turned in their bed, hand going to Taako’s cheek. His voice still cracked with sleep, eyes tired and sweet and sad. 

“Please don’t go.”

Taako closed his eyes and drowned in the darkness. “Okay,” he whispered. The hand on his cheek froze there. They had both heard his voice lying between the space of their breath. “Okay,” he repeated, eyes still closed. 

“Taako, I love you.”

The hand stayed on Taako’s cheek with the cold metal of the wedding ring Taako had given him pressing on his jaw. 

“Please don’t go.”

The hand stayed like a desperate attempt to make Taako’s lie into a promise and hold him there. “I _won’t_ ,” Taako snapped, hating himself for getting mad at being caught, for knowing his husband knew him and many things too well not to see Taako was already as good as gone. 

“Don’t go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will make more sense in the next chapter!
> 
> Sorry for being so long without an update. If you follow me on tumblr or Twitter, you'll have already seen this so apologies for the repeat information! 
> 
> My doctors have luckily been able to narrow some of my health issues down to a genetic disorder (Ehlers-Danlos). It can be pretty painful. I hope to be able to get back into writing as I begin pain management and physical therapy. Anyway, I wanted you all to know what was up with this fic and that updates are well on their way!
> 
> I have been working on new chapters. I think I've mentioned before that this was a series already largely pre-written that I am revising, editing, and adding to (there's about 40K of rough drafts yet to be published; the parts of this fic on AO3 was about 5-10K words of the original work which obviously I expanded into 30K lol).


	3. Just a Pinch of Salt in the Wound and You’ll Be Fine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _His heart was starting to beat faster than it should have. Taako damned himself for having put on makeup that morning; damned himself for giving Kravitz the excuse to run his thumb along Taako’s lips and smear the lipstick on the corner of his mouth. He swallowed thickly, throat working as Kravitz brought the rag to his cheek again. Water ran down his neck, down his mark of service and across his collarbone. His chest had dried since Kravitz washed his hair and he felt each rivulet of hot water intimately; the prickling of his skin as it began to dry. Another splash and Taako closed his eye._
> 
> _He could feel Kravitz’s breath barely against his cheek. It was already cool when it ghosted over his wet skin and Taako suppressed a shiver. He wanted Kravitz and he didn’t want him to know._ Ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to [Tansy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tanacetum/pseuds/Tanacetum) for the beta!

Steam curled off Taako’s coffee and hung in the air, reminding Taako it had been but minutes and not the hours he felt like must have passed. Before him was the sketch of a man he’d seen in his dreams. “ _Don’t go_ ,” the man in his sketch could practically breath at any moment. Taako touched another freckle near his dimple. 

Other Reapers sat around him, trying to occupy themselves in the newspapers splayed across the coffee table. Some of them were in full regalia, feathers dripping down their hair. Others were dressed like Taako, with a suit or business skirt. 

“Taako? Dr. Ginger is ready to see you now.” 

Taako snapped his journal close and stood automatically. He followed the nurse back to the cozy little room nestled in the corner, passing other closed doors. The office was more of a sitting room that happened to have a desk. Somehow, it made him hate the place even more because it was _pretending_ to be something it wasn’t; a cozy little room and not a therapist’s office. He took a seat in the nesting chair across from Dr. Ginger. 

“Nice to see you again, Taako,” Dr. Ginger greeted him and held her hand out to shake. 

He gave her a perfunctory shake and sat back. “Yeah, sort of mandated to be here,” he answered airily and looked out the window. 

She smiled weakly, thinly. “Bad month?” 

“Interesting month,” Taako allowed, leaning his chin on the palm of his hand. 

“Started having dreams yet?” Taako must have given it away somehow, tensing or his ears or his face. “I’ll take that as a ‘yes’.” Another stretch of silence. Taako glanced at the clock. Fifty-five minutes left. “Remember, I’m here to help you,” Dr. Ginger added lightly. 

“With what?” Taako countered without any heat. He only felt resignation. 

“Your dreams are troubling you. We’re trained to help Reapers recover their memories, not be haunted by them.” He scoffed and tapped the top of his journal impatiently. “Really bad dreams, huh?”

“It’s not real,” he hissed in frustration, hating himself for giving that much away. 

“Why do you say that?” 

Taako kept his eyes fixed firmly on the faraway city outside the window. “It’s not _me_. Whoever that guy _was_ isn’t allowed to have _my_ life. It’s _mine_ ,” he filled the emptiness twisting around him. “That guy, he’s _dead_ and I’m _not_. He doesn’t get to be me because he stuck his stupid memories in my head.” 

Dr. Ginger was quiet. Taako sent a glare her way and looked out again out the window. This high up, it seemed like the buildings were huddling together for the coming night as the artificial sun began to dip to rest. One of the few days they bothered to even make the sun rise and he was stuck in this stuffy office with tinted windows. “You’re worried about losing yourself to your past memories?”

“They’re not mine!” Taako snapped, turning to her again.he visibly startled. He gnashed his teeth and quieted himself. “I’m not _hers_ either. Not because that guy gave himself to her,” he hissed, low and dangerous and blasphemous. Dr. Ginger blinked, too surprised to speak. “I’m Taako. I’ve always been Taako. The other Taako thought his second chance to live was shoving his memories into my egg. This is my life and I will _not_ live it with his regrets because he fucked up.” 

Shadows highlighted the angles of his face, drawn feral with a fear he had no mirror to see. His claws left indents in the leather journal. Under his fingers, he could feel the man in his dreams. His eyes dropped to his hands and a charcoal smile lay across his palm, blurry where he had unknowingly smeared it along his chin.

It took Taako twenty minutes to walk home. Eternal twilight reigned once again in Shadowfell. A Wednesday meant a meeting with Assvitz. He wanted to blow him off, still angry after his session. _Kravitz_ was the one who mandated all Reapers had to go to therapy. It was _his_ fault he had to sit there and feel his energy drain with each pedantic, patronizing question meant to make him confront something that wasn’t real. 

He opened the door and stared into the darkened, empty apartment. 

Two cups of coffee sat steaming on the counter. He’d only just missed Lup, and apparently she’d had someone else over. Quietly, Taako dumped what remained in the sink and washed the mugs out, staring out the kitchen window. Fireworks burst against the dome, lights making shadows of the hundreds of Shadar-kai in the streets, and jazz shook each dancer as if they were burning. Taako had a flash like a memory; an image of the city on fire, a clocktower like Kravitz Castle’s falling under a dome and the earth splitting before his feet.

‘ _And we all die again_ ,’ Taako thought.

He jumped back from the image, pulse quick and frightened. The mug he was holding shattered against the tile. He pinched the bridge of his nose at the oncoming headache, taking a deep breath through his mouth. After a moment, he tiptoed over the mess and went to his bag. Inside were two daggers. He held one in each hand and clicked them against each other so they sparked. He blew the spark at the glass and it swirled together, pieces fitting undamaged. 

At least there was one good thing about all of this. 

Taako picked the mug up and returned it to the sink, eyes downcast so he didn’t glance again at the city burning in his mind over and over and over again. He put his hands on the side of the sink to hold the counter in place and keep his life from fading into the fire of his memory. Finally, he loosened his grip and looked up.

Shadowfell stood as it had for hundreds of thousands of years. The clocktower struck its time and the world stayed where it belonged. Slowly, he went to the bathroom and took a bag of supplies. Shampoo, lotion, combs, sweet-smelling bath salts and candles. 

Considering the way the day went, Taako doesn’t even feel sorry about being half an hour late. Kravitz was already barefoot, sitting on the couch and glaring openly at Taako as he came through the door. “I know, I know,” Taako warned and held up a finger. “I needed some shit, babe.” Whatever complaint Kravitz had died on his lips as his eyes fell to the bag in Taako’s charcoal stained hands.

Taako watched him for a moment, then dropped the bag in his lap. “You are going to draw me a hot bath. Use the lavender epsom. You will undress me, wash me, and braid my hair afterwards,” he ordered and walked to the window, looking out at the spotlights dancing across the top of Shadowfell’s dome. “This is a punishment for daring to glare at me.” He turned back to look at Kravitz, eyes cold.

Kravitz’s throat bobbed as he swallowed and nodded. 

“Good bird,” Taako smirked, brushing a curl of hair from Kravitz’s cheek then traced the shell of his ear. “Clean everywhere. You’re not allowed to touch my dick. Don’t talk to me.” Kravitz’s lips parted, looking between Taako’s eyes and his mouth. He nodded slowly.

Pleased with his victory, Taako strutted into the bathroom and held out his arms for Kravitz to take him apart. The couch creaked as Kravitz stood. His breath touched the back of Taako’s neck, one hand gliding up Taako’s back and resting on his shoulder. Taako suppressed a shiver. Kravitz slid his hand down Taako’s spine and Taako almost snapped at him to get on with it already. 

He wrapped his arms around Taako, hands tugging his blouse free from his skirt. They fell to the bottom button as Kravitz pressed a kiss to Taako’s smile-stained palm. Taako inhaled sharply. He felt the bastard’s grin there against his skin. “Stop dawdling,” he complained, trying to swat at Kravitz with his free hand. He only ended up squirming awkwardly against his chest. Kravitz chuckled and popped the second, then third button in quick succession, throat rumbling at Taako’s wrist.

 _Asshole_ , Taako thought viciously, and held himself back from pulling away to do it himself. Away fell the fourth and fifth buttons, the tips of Kravitz’s claws scraping Taako’s chest. The touches lingered, warm against each beat of Taako’s heart. Mercifully, Kravitz finally turned Taako’s collar up. His thumbs rested at Taako’s collarbone as he fumbled with the last button, mouth now against the corner of Taako’s jaw. Taako could still feel his sharp teeth on his palm, the claws chasing buttons up his chest.

Then his warmth faded with the blouse, sliding easily from Taako’s arms. Taako took a deep breath as Kravitz’s thumbs slipped into the hem of his pants. He put his hands over Kravitz’s and Kravitz turned them with his finger and thumb encircling Taako’s wrists, guiding Taako’s hands to the zipper of his slacks. 

Taako blinked down, trying to figure out what Kravitz wanted. “Oh, _fuck_ , right,” he mumbled, hastily undoing the button and zipper. Kravitz wasn’t even going to get close to brushing his cock even clothed.

 _Well_ at least he was listening; Taako swallowed thickly. His slacks hit the floor and he stepped out of them, Kravitz following close behind his steps. “Hmm,” Kravitz hummed somewhere close to his temple, hands tracing Taako’s bare hips. 

“Like you’ve never gone commando into work, my guy,” Taako scoffed, rolling his eyes. The corners of his mouth twitched at Kravitz’s little laugh against the point of his ear. “I know because I’ve stolen your underwear to wear when I couldn’t find mine.” 

Kravitz laughed, startled and amused, “You what?” 

“Oh-h,” Taako crowed, hands clamping around Kravitz’s wrists, arms criss-crossed. “Fell for my lie and broke your vow of silence.” He spun like a dancer to face Kravitz, Kravitz’s hands now in his, crossed at the wrist. “You woulda noticed your underwear missing,” he chastised lightly. 

“Odd you haven’t noticed I only wear underwear on days I’m to meet with you,” Kravitz snorted. 

“Bold for still talking but I’ll allow it, handsome,” Taako snickered, tiptoeing closer a couple of steps so he was looking down at Kravitz. “Why ever would I have figured you out on our off days?” 

Kravitz smirked like he’d caught Taako in a trap. “As if I don’t notice,” he explained with a little wave of his hand. “You ogle me when you think I’m not paying attention to you.” 

Scoffing, Taako pushed Kravitz back lightly with a leer, leaving a finger on the center of his chest. “I could be casting a curse on you, babe,” he told him, starting to circle him, finger trailing Kravitz’s skin. 

“For all that dexterity our goddess gave you, I’ve yet to see you in the office with your daggers,” Kravitz told him, tracking Taako with his lips parted. 

“Are you really sure I need foci to make you trip over your feet?”

“No.”

Taako stopped in front of Kravitz, tilting his head and pressing his hand flat against Kravitz’s sternum. “That’s what I thought, pretty bird.” 

Kravitz dropped his gaze, feigning his bashful submission even as he opened like a flower under Taako’s hand. His eyes shone beneath his lashes, smile slipping across his pursed lips. He could step closer if he wanted, steal Taako’s breath and reduce him to rubble. Instead, he bowed his head and went to the bathroom.

Closing his eyes, Taako took a deep breath and sat at the little vanity. Water started running from the bathroom, the old copper pipes rattling above Taako. He unpacked all the things he’d brought, setting the epsom off to the side. Kravitz appeared silently behind him and took it, disappearing back into the bathroom. 

He crossed his legs and turned toward the door, waiting for Kravitz. From his seat, he could just see Kravitz, leaning over the tub, stirring the epsom into the water with his hand. Water rolled down his forearms and Taako was suddenly reminded how physically strong Kravitz was. It was probably the only way he fought, given Taako hadn’t ever seen him with foci. 

Every now and then there were tournaments in the scattered cities. The biggest was, of course, in Shadowfell, where the Reapers competed for glory. It’d blare on the radios in taverns; each city would have their own tournament, with the local Reaper the last fight.

Lup and Taako had always paused to watch on their journeys. Taako had been studying Reaper magic longer than he’d been on the road. Reapers always won, but the point was to see how long you could last. If you managed thirty seconds, the elderwoman would clap you on the back and tend to your wounds personally. Most couldn’t get that far. 

Reapers carried ancient magic they said was from their past lives, but Taako had never thought this was true. He’d seen Reapers bend the sand to their will, breath in the spirits under the Sea, score themselves with their claws and twist into cat-like beasts. They fought with something ancient, but it was too specific to Shadar-kai, to their ways and stories to be anything but things hoarded by the Reapers and lost to its people. 

He had been right, of course, when he’d finally undergone his own training. Reapers each went into a room filled with objects and were told to wait. The wait depended on the Reaper. Whatever object they activated first became their Path and supposedly told them all they needed to know about a person. It determined how you fought, what you could do, which school you trained at.

Taako had wandered around the room for all of five minutes before running his hands over a bejeweled knife on a serving plate and then reaching for a key. The rest had been part of the formula. He wondered what Kravitz had picked in the great room of objects as he watched the muscles in Kravitz’s arms flex and work. 

Something old, Taako thought to himself, chin resting in the palm of his hand. Something old and entirely practical. 

Finally, the water turned off and Kravitz stood in the doorway with a smile on his face. Taako was tempted to hold his arms up and make Kravitz carry him, but that would be giving him far too much control. He stood and followed Kravitz, stepping into the bath slowly and leaning back with his head turned towards Kravitz. “Well?” He prompted, arms sliding to rest on either side of the tub. 

Kravitz rested a hand on his cheek. It slid down to his jaw and Taako looked away from Kravitz to the water. The water lapped at the side of the tub as Taako watched him carry through the motions of wetting a rag. He stood and Taako dared to peek. 

The rolled sleeves of his shirt were already wet. They dripped water onto the tile, a scattered trail from Taako to him. Taako licked his lips, breath hitching as he thought about those strong arms around him from behind like they’d been before. He could practically feel a kiss against his ears, which dipped as if in response. Kravitz turned around and caught Taako staring, tilting his head in an unspoken question as he approached again and set a dry towel down next to the bath. Taako flicked an ear out of annoyance with himself, glaring down at the water instead of at Kravitz, his cock twitching in traitorous interest. 

_Lame_ , he told his libido. He was over here just getting worked up all by himself. This was a no-sex night, Kravitz didn’t deserve either him or his libido. He tried to purge the thought of how good it felt to ride Kravitz.

He nearly shouted in surprise when Kravitz put a hand on his cheek, making Kravitz snort in amusement. Taako turned away again, ears low as his face heated up. Somehow without doing anything particular at all, Kravitz was still making a fool out of Taako.

Kravitz tilted his face towards him with a soft nudge on Taako’s jaw, but Taako kept his eyes downcast to the water. His thumb came to rest on Taako’s bottom lip, forcing them to part. Taako closed his eyes, knowing how hot his breath was against Kravitz’s skin. The rag brushed Taako’s cheek and he almost flinched away. It ran over his eyes, across the powder on his cheeks, back down his temple to his jaw. He barely cracked one eye open, watching between his eyelashes as Kravitz splashed away the mascara and color clinging to the rag. 

His heart was starting to beat faster than it should have. Taako damned himself for having put on makeup that morning; damned himself for giving Kravitz the excuse to run his thumb along Taako’s lips and smear the lipstick on the corner of his mouth. He swallowed thickly, throat working as Kravitz brought the rag to his cheek again. Water ran down his neck, down his mark of service and across his collarbone. His chest had dried since Kravitz washed his hair and he felt each rivulet of hot water intimately; the prickling of his skin as it began to dry. Another splash and Taako closed his eye. 

He could feel Kravitz’s breath barely against his cheek. It was already cool when it ghosted over his wet skin and Taako suppressed a shiver. He wanted Kravitz and he didn’t want him to know. _Ever._

The rag slid over his jaw and down his neck. Taako’s eyes fluttered open and he met Kravitz’s inches from his own. His breath stopped short at the intense focus Kravitz directed at him like he was the only thing in the world that mattered. He knew he was romanticizing it, but it scared him that romance was even a thought. Taako closed his lips over Kravitz’s thumb and swallowed again. The rag rested at the nape of his neck, Kravitz’s other thumb over the point of his pulse beating hard in his throat.

_He knew._

Taako snapped his head away and leaned forward, taking a deep breath. He tried to say something witty to dispel this as nothing, but his racing mind couldn’t find anything. Nothing but Kravitz’s eyes, the curve of his smile, the touch of his fingers.

Kravitz shifted behind Taako and the rag skated across his shoulders and down his arm. He pressed it into Taako’s hand and Taako took it for lack of anything better to do. His damp feathers tickled between Taako’s shoulder blades as Kravitz leaned over, guiding Taako’s hand between his legs. 

_Gods._ Taako almost told him to stop, but he held his tongue. This was Kravitz doing what he was told. He’d told him he wasn’t allowed to touch, to wash everything, _here’s the string to pull to undo me_.

Kravitz’s cheek pressed against the side of Taako’s head. He could feel Kravitz’s shirt soaking through as he pressed himself flush against Taako’s back. The very edge of Kravitz’s rolled-up sleeve dipped in the water as the rag touched Taako’s aching cock. He turned his gaze away from watching Kravitz guide his hand through the suds and rose petals. One of his ears twitched, thumping against Kravitz’s jaw.

Kravitz laughed, breathy and low so close to that ear. Taako squeezed his eyes shut and bit his lip, muffling a moan as the rag slid down over his balls then between his cheeks. He let go of the rag and his reservations and fisted his dick loosely. Kravitz’s hand covered his, tightening the grip.

“ _Shit_ ,” Taako hissed and threw his head back against Kravitz’s shoulder. He panted for breath and Kravitz guided Taako’s hand up his shaft. The water splashed as Kravitz stroked him.Taako watched the flickering candlelight on the ceiling. He flung out his arm to find Kravitz’s, fingertips skating down his wrist and pressing his hand into the palm of Kravitz’s. “Fingers,” he murmured. “Use them.”

Kravitz pressed forward, bending Taako with him. He was forced to sit up and watch Kravitz’s hand and his dip under the water. Moaning, Taako pushed two fingers into himself. Two of Kravitz’s joined his and he gasped, pressing his forehead against Kravitz’s hair. Kravitz kept it leisurely of course, the bastard. Fucking him with his fingers and stroking his cock like they were taking a stroll in the park. He meant to order— command Kravitz faster, tell him, ‘ _Get me off right now._ ’ 

All that came out was a half-gasped plea of, “ _Please._ ”

He heard and felt a sharp intake of breath next to his temple. The water splashed against the side of the tub as Kravitz picked up the pace. 

Taako swore and pressed kisses and incoherent praise to Kravitz’s neck. “Pretty, babe, handsome, good so good, more,” he babbled. It didn’t take much to bring Taako off, shaking and curling inwards with a cry that might have been Kravitz’s name with his hips twitching down on their fingers.

He went limp, gasping for breath. Kravitz caught him before he could fall in the water, holding him by his upper torso. He grabbed the rag and cradled Taako to his chest as he washed both their fingers. Taako hid his burning face in the corner of Kravitz’s jaw. 

_A fool_.

Kravitz lifted him and Taako scrambled for purchase, throwing his arms around Kravitz’s neck. He knew he shouldn’t have been surprised that carrying him was effortless. Kravitz set him on the towel he’d laid aside, getting another out to dry Taako off. Water rolled down Kravitz’s body, but he didn’t even seem to mind his pants and shirt clinging to his skin.

“ _Shit_ ,” Taako swore under his breath, trying not to look and only managing to ogle. _Gods_ but Kravitz was gorgeous. Annoying, insufferable, patronizing and gorgeous. 

He snatched a towel out of Kravitz’s hand and scrubbed it over his face. “Sorry,” he mumbled. “Didn’t think about the logistics of how weird it is to have someone else dry me.” Kravitz held his hands up in surrender and sat back in a puddle of water, just watching Taako. 

“Hey,” Taako said to fill the silence instead of staring at Kravitz. “What’s your Path?” After a beat of silence, he laughed nervously and then covered his mouth. “You can talk to answer me.” He dared to look at Kravitz. 

“Rain,” Kravitz answered with a smile. “There was a leak in the ceiling and it was raining. I held up my hand to catch it.”

_Something old and entirely practical._

Taako had never seen rain and yet he saw Kravitz in a storm, holding his arms out to Taako to dance. “I’ve never seen rain,” he whispered, feeling stupid and scared.

“You will one day,” Kravitz said and stood, smiling down at Taako in a way that made him feel real and seen. Not a smile from a dream for someone else seeing past Taako. He blinked away the image and all that was left was Kravitz, holding out a hand to pull Taako to his feet. 

Slowly, Taako took his hand and squeezed, letting Kravitz help him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised, another chapter! Please enjoy.


	4. Three Tales From New Recruits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Outsiders looking in.

Glass shattered across the dummy. The recruit swore in some foreign dialect she’d picked up from the Shadowfell soldiers and threw the remainder of her staff aside. She wiped blood from her mouth and spat into the dirt. 

“Vincent,” The Grim Reaper shouted across the training room. Vincent groaned at being noticed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “What was that? Were you paying attention at all?! Again! Amaiat, help her.”

Amaiat gave her a sympathetic look, tossing Vincent another glass staff. She caught it with only the slightest fumble. “He’s a hardass,” Amaiat told her and picked up a staff of her own. “Don’t take it personally.”

“I can’t do it without my familiar,” Vincent insisted, stubbornly throwing her staff over her shoulders. She glanced over at a rat sleeping on a little bed near some other familiars. “Jay and I have been together since we were born. I don’t understand why he thinks that’ll stop anytime soon.” 

“No one brings a familiar into the field if they have one, Vincent,” Amaiat offered her with a weak smile. “Best way to kill a Reaper is to kill a familiar.” Vincent knew she was right, but still didn’t want to think of going to the material plane without Jay in her pocket. She started to lift her staff when Amaiat froze, eyes rising to something behind her.

“I thought I told you to do the strike again.” 

Vincent turned slowly, The Grim Reaper looming over her. She could always feel _Her_ watching somewhere behind his mask. There was never a Thursday where Vincent wished she wasn’t somewhere else. Her hands trembled at her sides and she clutched her pants, dipping into a low bow. If she could have run, she would have already bolted. 

Death stood there a moment longer before moving down the line. 

Vincent took a shaky breath and covered her face, trying to calm her heart. 

“C’mon,” Amaiat urged, clapping her on the shoulder. “Let’s do it again before Mr. Angsty cones back.” Vincent couldn’t help a small laugh, shakily taking her staff in hand. “You get used to it,” Amaiat told her, clapping her again on the shoulder. “He’s just a person.”

“With Our Lady living in his head,” Vincent whispered defensively, a couple of other recruits listening to their hushed conversation. 

“That’s where you’re wrong,” Amaiat laughed, giving each of them a look. “When you finish training, you’ll meet Her and you’ll realize that— that feeling—” She gestured, trying to find the word, then put both her hands on Vincent’s shoulders.

“Fear,” Vincent supplied softly. “Like She’s watching.”

“That _fear_ you feel is all the Kravitz,” Amaiat went on, maneuvering Vincent into position for the strike. “A fraction of Her. Like a scar. Now, turn your torso and focus. Put all your fear of breaking into the staff.” 

Vincent did what Amaiat said and held her staff out. She did not fear the staff breaking, but she feared being reprimanded by The Grim Reaper again. She could feel him, like he was over her shoulder, The Lady’s eyes on her and disappointed. It threatened to overwhelm her and she swung the staff at the dummy, imagining glass shattering before it ever hit. 

It thudded solidly against the dummy and the dummy cracked, breaking from its post and falling against the floor with a small poof of dust. 

Amaiat clapped her hands delighted at Vincent’s success. Vincent jolted as if out of a dream. She turned, fearfully searching for the Kravitz. Death was far away, talking to someone Vincent vaguely recognized as his secretary. He hadn’t been watching at all but Vincent had felt Her, she was sure.

She looked back down at the staff and dropped it on the ground, stepping back a couple of paces. 

_Like a scar_.

Amaiat pounded her on the back. “Good job, recruit,” she grinned. Vincent turned and saw the scar on Amaiat’s mark of service. “Let’s do it again _without_ breaking the dummy.” 

Vincent thought again about running and never looking back. Instead, she swallowed down her fear and picked up her staff. She squared her shoulders like Amaiat had told her and did it again.

* * *

Going to _this_ wing of the castle was always frightening. Taako brushed invisible lint off his shirt and double-checked the door had, ‘ _Administrator of Kravitz Castle_ ’ on a sign beside it. Thankfully, it did. He took a deep breath and opened the door.

“—ck off!” 

Secretary Taako was standing, arms crossed and glaring directly at Kravitz. Kravitz was fuming, pacing the length of the room. Taako blinked, mouth falling open. They both turned their attention on him, fury directed his way. 

Taako shrunk back from the door. “Is it a bad time? I can—”

“No,” Secretary Taako growled and waved his hand. “Taako From Accounting sent you to get me for lunch?” 

“Y-yeah,” Taako said, scratching the side of his nose. This was probably why Taako From Accounting had sent the new recruit instead of going himself.

“Right,” Secretary Taako hurled at Kravitz. 

Kravitz’s shoulders rose defensively. “What do you want me to do about—?!”

“Not. Now,” Secretary Taako snarled and snatched his purse off the desk, storming right past Taako. 

Taako watched Secretary Taako march down the hall before glancing back at Kravitz who was rubbing his temples in frustration. “Uh,” Taako offered, hand on the doorknob. 

Kravitz’s eyes snapped to him, looking him up and down. “You work in the mailroom?” 

“Y-yeah,” he answered, glancing again at Secretary Taako’s retreating form. “Next to accounting.” He didn’t know why he said that. 

Kravitz grabbed a stack of papers and put them into his hands. They looked like Reaper reports to Taako. On the top was ‘ _Taako Amaiat_ ’, recommending he be approved for—

Kravitz’s hand covered the paper and he put a manilla folder on top of it. “Don’t,” he warned softly. Taako looked away, stuffing the papers into the folder with embarrassment creeping into his face. “Take them to the mailroom before you go to lunch. Ostrander will know what to do with them.”

Taako nodded and fled down the hallway.

* * *

“Come in.” 

Mitzi opened the door and kept his eyes down. “Your breakfast, sir.” 

“The table.” 

He dared a glance up. A man stood near the window, a glass of water in hand. Mitzi squinted, feeling like he recognized him. He shook his head and set the tray on the table. 

“Thank you.”

The man stepped forward, hair tangled in a silver ribbon as he took his coffee. “You’re welcome, sir,” Mitzi said and tried not to stare too hard, but he was handsome. A name was on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn’t quite place him. His eyes darted to the bed as someone rolled over with a groan that startled Mitzi out of his thoughts. Someone as equally attractive of course in the bed, but nearly dead asleep. It was a good reminder as any that he’d lingered too long. Jessamine would chastise him for bothering the guests. Mitzi bowed and turned to leave.

“And Junior Officer Hartmann?” 

Mitzi froze at the invocation of his title. He’d been warned by Anais that sometimes they’d see others. He’d thought no one would recognize a recruit. Until now, no one had. 

“We never saw each other.” 

He realized with a sudden surge of horror who was standing behind him sipping coffee. “Yes sir,” he said with more confidence than he had, saluting the door with his hand over his heart. He remained like that for a moment longer until he heard the mug come to rest on the table again. 

Mitzi practically scrambled for the door, shutting behind him and leaning against it to take a breath. Then he hurried down the stairs and fast-walked to the break room. He put his mask back on, cursing himself for not having it on in the first place. Some guests tipped him more for being pretty, but it wasn’t worth the _fucking Grim Reaper_ knowing he had a second job at a sex club. 

He sat down with his head in his hands. 

“Coffee?” Jessamine offered him a cup, pulling her robes shut. “Heard you running downstairs. I’m guessing you took care of room 203?” He nodded silently, sliding the coffee across the table. She laughed and lit a pipe, sitting across from him. “He’s not as bad as you Reapers think he is, but you can feel, you know,” she gestured upwards. “Heard it’s a nasty feeling, death.”

“I can’t,” he mumbled into his hands.

“What?”

“Only some of us can feel Her,” he said, looking up. “I didn’t realize until he used my title.” 

This seemed to amuse Jessamine even more. “Oh, you poor thing,” she laughed and shook her head, smoke trailing from either side of her mouth. “Told you to wear your mask.” He dropped his head back into his hands with a groan. “You can trust him to keep your secret, baby.” She blew smoke out the side of her mouth, resting her head on the table so she could catch his eyes between his fingers and smile up at him. “Trust me if you can’t trust him.”

Mitzi managed a smile against the palms of his hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo! Another chapter just a day later. Written from scratch this morning.


	5. There’s Nothing Left to Run Away From, Dear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An assignment and a present.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick warning for subdrop and aftercare elements this chapter.

The clock chiming shattered the the quiet of the room. Kravitz woke with a small start, groaning and wiping sweat from his brow awkwardly with his hands still cuffed together. His ankles were, too, but he didn’t need to use his legs yet. Taako shifted next to him, kissing his neck up to his jaw. Another night spent in unfamiliar, sex-stained sheets. A part of him was furious he’d let himself stay until morning again. No point in being mad when Taako was so good at convincing him to stay past the curfew he’d set. 

“What were you dreamin’ about?” Taako murmured in his ear, hand sliding into Kravitz’s panties. “Sounded good. Woke me up with all the moanin’.” 

Of course, Kravitz remembered the dream that’d been plaguing for him days. “I don’t remember,” he mumbled, leaning into Taako’s touch. Taako grabbed his chin and jerked his face towards him with a frown. 

“Did you just lie to me, bones?”

Kravitz huffed, squirming against Taako’s hand still curled around his dick. “It was boring,” he murmured, keeping his eyes averted. 

Shifting so Kravitz was on his back, Taako pushed the panties down far enough to pull Kravitz out. He took the cuffs and pushed the chain between them onto the hook in the headboard, trapping Kravitz’s hands above his head. “Tell me,” he ordered with a smirk, brushing his fingers up the length of Kravitz’s cock. 

The barely there touch made Kravitz moan. “My bed,” he blurted. He was rewarded with Taako’s long fingers wrapping around his shaft and stroking idly. Looking up and away, he wondered how far Taako would go to tempt or demand an answer out of him. He bit his lip like it was too much to go on. Taako crawled across his body, straddling his hips with his ass rubbing against Kravitz’s cock. 

_Oh._

“It was about you fucking me in my bed,” he said immediately, hands twisting against the padded cuffs. 

“Good bird,” Taako groaned as he sank down slowly on Kravitz’s cock. Leaning down, he captured Kravitz’s lips in a frantic, heated kiss, moving quickly. Kravitz gasped into it, breathless against Taako’s impatient race to the end. Already worked up from the dream, he came with a sharp noise in Taako’s ear. 

Taako clucked disapprovingly and slipped forward to sit on Kravitz’s chest. “You’re going to clean this mess up for lying to me, handsome,” he grinned, setting a brutal pace for the rest of the morning.

When Taako had gone back to sleep and left Kravitz worn down to shambles, he slipped a breakfast order under the door for both of them. The coffee would help wake him up and focus on leaving the hazy warmth behind.

Like most mornings, Kravitz barely managed to limp back to the castle in time to look somewhat presentable at nine. Taako wasn’t a minute late. Lately, he was always there on time, smiling or smirking. Today it was smirking, and Kravitz hid his burning face in a cup of tea. 

He hurried to his office, trying not to think too hard about Taako grabbing him by the root of his hair and smirking against the column of his throat. Instead, he tried to think about how much easier his life had been when his only worry was that he’d get a snide remark from his secretary. He opened up his stacks of files and pulled out his stack of cases. Assigning them was his least favorite part of his job because every Reaper seemed to have a complaint. 

Still, Kravitz forgave it because it _was_ part of his job. A delicate part requiring him to thoroughly deliberating which Reapers were more likely to be successful in bringing souls back so they could immediately be cast into the Sea with their loved ones. He took assignments seriously, after a long consideration. Their job was to rescue and restore, not destroy. The wrong Reaper would guarantee failure. 

Which was why, after weighing all the reapers on record, he attached Taako’s name to the case he’d been debating for a month. It would be Taako’s first field mission. He put his own name down to audit instead of trusting anyone else to monitor a green Reaper like Taako. Yesterday, they’d had a blow up fight they’d never quite resolved over Kravitz adding field missions to Taako’s list of approved duties. 

He tapped the paper, frowning down at it. All the metrics pointed to Taako being the best for the case. Other Reapers with similar skills were otherwise occupied with more pressing matters. He couldn’t put this off any longer. A report had come in two days ago from his older sister in Darkshell about an accident resulting in two shepherds needing to be sent to the bigger city of Fallensword for medical aide.

It took him an hour to work up the nerve to slide the stack of assignments on Taako’s desk for delivery to the post. 

He waited nervously in his office, startling at every noise as he waited the inevitable fall out.

It took another hour before Taako stormed into his office with the folder in hand. 

“I am _not_ spendin’ a week talkin’ to fuckin’ flowers in godsdamn podunk Darkshell, homie,” he hissed, splashing the folder across Kravitz’s desk. 

Kravitz folded his hands on top of his desk. “You’re the best for this job,” he sighed and steepled his fingers, trying to pretend like he hadn’t been waiting for this exact confrontation.

“Uh huh, sure. You said I’d never be fit for _real_ Reaper work. I agree,” Taako growled, tossing himself into the cushioned visitor chair across from Kravitz’s desk. “And sendin’ me off to dove village? No thanks.”

Eyeing Taako, Kravitz leaned forward. “Darkshell is my hometown,” he said evenly. “Do you have something against dove-feathers, Taako?” 

Taako blinked, opening his mouth, then closing it. His mouth widened into a grin. “Oh, this explains way too much, babe,” he laughed, leaning on the desk. “A pretty, pretty mourning dove on his cooing perch.”

Kravitz narrowed his eyes at the taunt. “We’ll leave this evening. Prepare accordingly,” he intoned, lacing his fingers together. 

Taako backed off with his hands raised and a little smile. “We’re not staying with your family, right?”

“No,” Kravitz frowned, already regretting his decision to audit. 

“Good, good,” he laughed, going back to his desk and leaving Kravitz to warily reconsider his packing list. Embarrassed, he quickly wrote ‘ _lingerie_ ’ and ‘ _lube_ ’ at the bottom before flipping it over. 

This could only go badly, right? 

He turned his thoughts towards the rest of the day. Taako wasn’t the only one who wanted to complain about assignments. At least he was leaving that night and they’d have less time to do it. He heard them all out and dismissed them all slowly. Taako had become better attuned to his stress and he raised his head after being yelled at to find a cup of warm tea on his desk, Taako disappearing through the doorway. 

He smiled to himself and picked it up, blowing on it before taking a sip. There were a few more short, uncomfortable meetings. All at once they stopped and Kravitz got up to peek out into the empty waiting room. 

Eerie.

He glanced around for Taako, catching sight of the note on the front of his office door. 

‘ _Take a nap, handsome. I went to a late lunch. -T_ ’

Kravitz rubbed at his face, noticing it was somewhere after three. Feeling foolish, he folded the note and put it in his front pocket. Taako must have dismissed everyone who was waiting. That made Kravitz feel _something warm_ he didn’t want to put his finger on. Mostly, he didn’t particularly want to think too hard about what it said about him that he found the thought of Taako single handedly scaring off a whole room of angry, veteran Reapers incredibly attractive.

He regretted not being able to see it and maybe be on the receiving end a little.

Staring at the ceiling, he leaned against the doorway. He thought he’d come to terms with his vulgarities, but it seemed there was always going to be _something_ to find. 

Kravitz slipped off his cloak first thing through the door, unlacing his boots before turning towards his makeshift bed. It was somewhat hidden behind the spare desk to make a warm cubby in case anyone peeked in by accident. No one needed to know his habits for making a nest from knick-knacks. 

Lately, he’d even been adding to it. This was something he blamed almost entirely on Taako messing around in his bed. Seeing someone so thoroughly attractive in his nest— 

He cut off that line of thinking. That way lay madness.

He untied his cravat and set it aside, starting on his shirt and slacks. If he was going to take a nap, he wasn’t going to wrinkle clothes he’d need to put right back on. Kravitz stepped around the desk and froze. 

On his bed was Taako – sprawled out, snoring lightly, and very naked. “Taako,” he squawked in alarm. He covered his burning face and looked away, peeking through his fingers.

Taako awoke with a start and bolted upright. They stared at each other for a minute until Taako looked like he remembered where he was. He held up a finger. “Okay, go back over there and come around the corner ‘gin,” he murmured, trying to clear the sleep from his voice. Pausing, he glanced down with a tired grin. “Oh, good, you’re already naked.” 

Kravitz kept his face covered and only ran into the desk once while walking around it. 

After a moment, Taako cleared his throat and Kravitz managed to calm himself down enough to lower his hands to fists at his sides. He knew that what waited on the other side of that desk was going to ruin him. Taking one, last breath as a sane man, he walked forward. 

Taako was posed with his legs crossed, one over the other, hair more artfully splayed on his pillows, and his body weighed down only by the abundance of jewelry he’d found hiding in the nooks and crannies of Kravitz’s bed. He grinned lazily, toying with something in his hands. “Passed a little shop and saw this in the window, bubala,” he grinned, holding out the thing in his hands. “I thought you’d look good in it.”

Kravitz’s heart had already been thundering in his chest. The jangle of the blue collar made it nearly explode. The tag read, ‘ _ALLI_ ’, no mistaking it was meant for anyone else. He shivered, looking away from it. 

It was a pretty collar. It matched his mark of service and the tag didn’t look like it was cheap either. The tag even had been skillfully engraved. He would look good in it. Which made it harder for him to try to explain that he didn’t trust Taako enough yet. 

An awkward conversation to have when they were both standing around naked. 

“Not the big deal kinda thing, handsome,” Taako interrupted his thoughts, dropping the collar into his lap and playing with the tag. “But how many times you gonna see something this blue in Shadowfell?” Not often at all, Kravitz’s mind supplied. 

Kravitz squinted at Taako, trying to figure out if he was playing it off because he was awkward. No, that wasn’t it, Taako looked far too casual about it. Maybe a little nervous. Besides tea, this was the first thing he’d ever given Kravitz. 

Kravitz had never seen leather dyed as blue as the one in Taako’s hands. Not in Shadowfell anyway. Trends in the capital always tended towards darker hues. Kravitz’s lips parted as he realized the only way for Taako to have gotten this was probably by special order. 

Did he really just want to see what Kravitz looked like in a collar?

He touched his collarbone where his mark of service ended and took a breath. He’d always wanted to try it, but he’d never trusted anyone he’d been with enough for it besides–. He cut that off. He’d see him in two days and didn’t need to embarrass himself further with internal thoughts like ‘ _I would have let you collar me._ ’

This was an opportunity to _try_. He wasn’t even sure if he’d like it. They were already in the mode for this anyway. He approached the nest slowly, sinking into the cushions on his knees and straddling Taako’s thighs. 

Taako reached up with the collar and fastened it around his neck before sitting back. He raked his nails down Kravitz’s thighs as he admired him, chest feathers puffing out, pleased. “Pretty bird,” he murmured, running a hand between Kravitz’s thighs. Kravitz felt more sensitive, biting back a moan with a huff of breath. “Wish we had more time to put you in some stockings too, but–,” Taako grinned and flipped them, turning Kravitz over under him and pinning an arm behind his back. “There’ll be angry reapers in the office in like fifty minutes.”

_Oh no._

Even Taako’s hand on his wrist felt too hot and too much. He swallowed thickly, trying to regain some of his composure, but he could feel the warm place where Taako had slept in _his_ nest. The collar around his neck felt tighter when he did and he squeezed his eyes shut. 

He heard the lube pop open and rough fingers pushing inside of him. “D-don’t,” he protested, even as he moved his hips back to get more of Taako inside him. This was too much. “S-second,” he breathed. 

Taako’s fingers disappeared immediately. He leaned down, the weight of him comforting on Kravitz’s back, his arms circling under Kravitz’s chest. Tucking his head against Kravitz’s shoulder, he murmured, “Too much, babe?”

_Far too much._ “Mhm,” he hummed, hiding his face in the pillows. 

Almost gently, Taako stroked his chest feathers, hand moving lower slowly. “Gonna turn you over,” he said softly, waiting for Kravitz to nod before turning Kravitz over so they were facing each other. He touched Kravitz’s collar, perched on Kravitz’s thighs. “Want this off?” Kravitz shook his head. Shame and guilt started to close in on him. Taako had clearly prepared this for both of them and Kravitz was ruining it. 

“Hey,” Taako said softly, putting a hand on Kravitz’s cheek. “It’s okay, babe.”

“T-touch me a little,” Kravitz swallowed, putting a hand over Taako’s. 

Taako nodded slowly, glancing around. “How’s about a handjob to take care of our current dick sitches and we make those assholes wait ten minutes for a nap?” 

Kravitz threw an arm over his face and nodded. “Such a good bird,” Taako praised, kissing Kravitz under the collar and taking both their cocks in hand. “You look so handsome in that collar, Krav,” he murmured against his throat, stroking them both quick and hard. His breath hitched and he kissed up Kravitz’s jaw. “Good?”

It was. He felt some of his tension easing under Taako’s long fingers. It was still intense, but stepping rapidly from overwhelming with Taako’s mouth pressing kisses and assurances into his skin. “Yes,” Kravitz whispered, spine arching under Taako with a tiny moan. He threw his other arm over his face, trying to stay grounded. Flying away felt like a distinct possibility. 

His hips jerked upwards, moving with Taako and making him groan. “Ah, mm, good bird,” Taako chirped at the corner of his jaw. Kravitz fought a smirk and did it again. Slowly, he lowered one hand, putting his over Taako’s and guiding them to something tighter and more deliberate. “Mean,” Taako hissed, fucking into their hands and grasping Kravitz’s hip all the same. 

The collar jingled and Kravitz remembered all at once where he was and what he was wearing. Who’d bought it for him. Who he belonged to for the moment. He came with a sharp cry that sounded vaguely like Taako’s name. 

Taako pulled away, finishing himself against Kravitz’s thighs. His weight disappeared and Kravitz felt his absence prickling the corners of his eyes. Of course he’d had to go and fuck this up even further by saying his name as he came. _Shit_.

Something touched his thighs and he startled. “Hey, hey,” Taako mumbled, warm rag cleaning up the mess of his skin. “Just gonna clean ya up real quick,” he soothed, laying against Kravitz’s side. He heard a wet plop from Taako dropping the rag over the side. Past caring, Kravitz rolled over and pressed his face into Taako’s soft feathers. 

Taako carded a hand through his hair slowly. “You’re not embarrassed or whatevs, right?” He sighed, shifting to pull the blankets over them. “Shit, I’m not good at this. Listen, bubala, this was – uh a lot for me, too. Probably woulda been really disappointed by my performance anyway,” he laughed softly. 

Kravitz laughed, too, against Taako’s chest. “It was good,” he huffed, nuzzling Taako’s collarbone. “Too much.” He tilted his head back slightly and glanced up. Taako looked away, still petting his hair. 

“Yeah, uh. If you wanna try again, we’ll do this better,” he sighed with a vague hand wave. 

“Okay,” Kravitz replied softly, feeling warmth spreading in his chest. He wanted to try again and he felt Taako really meant he wanted to do better, too. “I’d like that.”

Tension Kravitz hadn’t noticed before drained from Taako’s shoulders. “Right,” he said quietly, sounding relieved. 

He started to take off the collar, but Kravitz stopped him. “I want to stay handsome,” Kravitz explained, kissing Taako’s fingers. 

Taako laughed, pinching his cheek lightly. “Beauty sleep don’t work like that, handsome,” he grinned, eyes crinkling. 

“I do not care,” Kravitz replied, wrapping a leg around Taako’s waist. “I like being pretty.”

“Hoo boy, you don’t needa tell me,” Taako snickered, nuzzling Kravitz’s hair and hugging him around the middle. 

They fell asleep warm in the only place Kravitz could call home and hopelessly – messily – tangled together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow. Well. I hope you guys are liking daily updates since that’s apparently what’s happening this week!

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to follow my [Tumblr](https://evitcani-writes.tumblr.com/) or [Twitter](https://twitter.com/Evit_cani).


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